Coal-washing apparatus



Aug. 1926. 1,594,626

' w W. C. MENZIES COAL WASHING APPARATUS IN KEN TOR.

BY Q Q34 A TTORNEYI Patented Aug. 3, 1926. j

1,594,626 Flo- WILLIAM'G. MENZIES, OF SCRANTON, PENNSYLVANIA.

COAL-WASHING APPARATUS.

v My invention relates to apparatt s for washing and separating coal or other substances from impurities whereby the said substances are rendered suitable for use.

j The general object of the invention is to provide an apparatus by the employment of which the coal or other similar mineral substance, particularly the smaller sizes thereof, may be separated in a novel and eflicient manner at a minimum costor expense.

It is also an object. of the invention to provide an apparatus of novel construction through which a stream of water is adapted to flow continuously at substantially constant pressure and to cooperate with the mechanical parts thereof to effect separation of the impurities from the coal or other similar material without the necessity of vibratory or jigging movements of any of the said mechanical parts. j A further object of the invention is to provide a new and novel means whereby the coal or other similar mineral substance is separated from impurities which may be intermingled therewith by the action of a continuously flowing stream of water ,at substantially constant pressure and is translated continuously; by the said stream and, discharged therewith separate from the said impurities.

Other objects and advantages of the invention willbe pointed out in the detailed description thereof which follows or will be apparent from such dpscriptiori. In order that the invention'may be readily understood and its practical advantages more fully appreciatedreference may be had to the accompanying drawings in,which I have illustrated one convenient form of mechanical meansembodying the invention. However, it will 'be understood that the invention is susceptible of embodiment in other forms'of construction than that shown and thatch-ange in the details of construction-may be made, within the scope of the claims without departing from the principle thereof. .1

Inthe drawings, Fig. 1 is a vertical, longitudinal, sectional elevation taken on the line 1 -1 of Fig. 2; Fi 2"'s a sectional plan view taken on the lme 22 of Fig. 1; i Fig. 3 is a transverse sectional view taken on the line 3-3 of Fig. 1; Fig. 4 is a transverse se'ctional view taken on the line of Fig. 1; and

siinilar' plate 20 is adjustable Application filed September as, 1924. Serial no. 729,245.

ered comprises a rear Wall 2, a front wall 3 v and side walls 4 and 5. The material to be cleaned is discharged from atrough or chute ,6 into the tank adjacent the rear wall 2 thereof and descends into the tank between the said wall and an adjustable baffle structure 10 of known construction. The material discharged from the trough 6 descends through the passageway between the baffle 10 .and the adjacent wall of the tank, on to the imperforated forwardly inclined elevated portion 11 of a screen plate 11 comprising a perforated rela'tivelysteeply inclined portion-12 adjoining the portion 11 which. portion 12 is joined with the less inclined perforated portion-13 of the said plate. The lower edge of the baflfle structure ,10 is located a short distance above the forward edge of the portion 11 so that the material to be'treated is discharged into the portion of the tank wherein the washing is effected a considerable distance above the upper rear edge of. the portion 13 of the perforated bottom. The forward edge portion of the said screen plate rests upon the upper edge of a partition wall 15 located between and parallel with the rear and front Walls 2 and 3 of the tank. The forward or front edge ortion. of the said screen plate extends t irough an opening between the upper edge of the partition wall 15 and the lower edge of a plate 17 which extends-between the opposite side walls 4 and 5 0i the tank. :The vertical depth of the said opening is adapted plate, previously referred to,by'means of anadjustable valve-like plate 20. The said in its own plane by the adjusting screw 21.

. The screen plate 11 is-located'a considerable distance above the bottom of the tank.

The water for causing separation of the impurities from the coal'or other similar material is supplied from any suitable source to to be controlled, for the purpose of contr0lv "a-,.tmk 25 and pumped from the latter through the apparatus. It... is drawn there- .fromthrough a pipe 26by meansof a rotary pump 27 from which the water is discharged through the relatively flat flaring discharge conduit 28 and from the latter th' ugh an opening'29 inthe wall 2. The mean for eratin'gthe pump 27 consists, in t e c n upwardly and rearwardly. Althou h not essential it is desirable that this p ate be adjustably mounted. The mounting ofsaid plate in order to render it adjustable may" made in any suitablezdesired or referred manner. In the construction, as il ustrated, the said plate is: provided at its opposite ends with flanges through which openings 32 in the form of slots are provided through which fastening or retaimn bolts 33 extend. By 'loosenin these olts the said plate may be adjus edeither upwardly or. downwardly so as to vary its positiomwith respect to the opening'129 in the lower-part of he wall 2 through which the water is discharged into the tank. Byadjusting the plate 31 upon the bolts 33 the angularity thereof with respect to a horizontal plane through the water delivery opening 29 is varie' .As a result of suchvariation the upwa'rd'flow of the. water toward the rearpart of the portion 13 of screen late-11.? is controlled to some extent whic -may be desir- I suits inthe washin able in order to effect the most effective reprocess. The lower edge portion of thep ate 31 is located a relatively' short distance in -front of the rear wall 2 in ahorizontal plane either coincident with or a short distance'above or below 'a horizontal plane within which the lower side of the water delivery opening 29 is located,

, ,Although' the presence of the plate 31 isnot absolutely essential to the operation o-f the apparatus it has been found that if it be omitted the water is apt to flow upwardly with too great a force through the perforations in the forward portion of the-screenplate .11" underneath the separated. impurities, such as slate, indicated at 35 and agitate the same.

Such agitation might result in'causmg' a reintermingling of the impurities, including slate,

with the coal from which it previously had been separated h the water is allowed or caused to flow upwardly through the screen plate must be such thatjflotation oi the coal or other simi-.

lar mineral substances-may be eflected without causing flotation oratifany rate excessive flotation of the im urities,. such as slate, stone and the like. lotation of the coal or other similar mineral substances may be ef-i fected without at the same time causing a;

known. The

tact with the upwardly flowing streams of 11* below the portion 1 is unperforated so water. The lower" edge portion ofthe plate thatthefrelativel'y. he'ziiiy impurities bank at th'at point and retard or tend to retard.

the outflow of said impurities from the com-' partment wherein separation has been efacted; into the dischar e compartment. As

a result'of such retar ation complete separation .o'fqthe, coal and impurities is effected.

Jicoal which has been floated by the 'lhe upwar flowing movemjent'pf the water is carried by the water over the upper edge of theg plate l 'i' into the water-filled chamber between thef said plate 17 and the upper portion'iof damn 3. The coal descends through the water in said chamber and is discharged through a restricted opening40 ontoan inclined, perforated plate 41 A ortion of the water which enters said chamer is also discharged through saidopening. It will be observed that the coal 1s sub.- merged in water throughout its entire passage to the discharge opening 40. The perforations'in the plate 4 1 are of asize to permit the water to pass through the same but are too small to permit of the passage therethrough of the particles of ,coal or other material. The latter, therefore, is discharged from the saidplate and thereafter may be conveyed to any point desired. The water which drains from the coal through the screen 41 falls on to .a screen 42 over the top of the front portion of thetank 25.

The area of the opening 40 maybe varied by adjusting the valve 43. Adjustmentof saidvalve may be effected by operating the lever j A rtionof the water which has effected the otation of'the coal or other. material being washed separates from the said material and flows forwardly over .the top 45 of the front wall 3 and then laterally into a,

conduit or passageway-(4:6 from which it is discharged on to the screen plate 42, P ethe The pur ose of the screen plate 42 is to prevent oreign matter, such as chips, etc.,- from passing with the water into the water supply tank 25. I

It will be seen that the water is caused by the pump 27 to circulate through the system, the same water being used over and over again, the only loss being due to the adherence of the water to the coal or other similar material and the impurities and perhaps Some unavoidable leakage. u

The-impurities, including slate and the like, as previously stated, arev discharged from the portion 13 of the screen plate underneath the lower edge of 'the adjustable plate 20' into the spacennderneath the-inclined intermediate bottom which extends forwardly' from the lower edge portion of the plate 17 and which causes the coal and a portion of the water to be discharged through the restricted opening 40, previously referred to. The'said slate and other impurities-of greater specific gravity than thecoal or other similar mineral substance are discharged into the space between artition wall 15 and the lower portion of the front wall 3 and'is removed therefrom by the flights 51. of an endless conviously referred to.

veyor 52 supported upon the'drums 53 and 54. The latter is adapted to bedriven by means of a drivewheel 55 which in turn is driven by a drive belt 56. The means for driving the latter is not shown.

It will be observed that. the water in the chamber into which the slate and other ims purities i discharged is in a quiet state and that the impurities discharged into said chamber descend therein on to the bottom of the runway or. trough in which the flights 51 operate."

For the purpose of removing sludge from i the bottom of the tank and for cleansing the same Iv have provided openings 61 and 62 which are controlledby valves 63 and 64 which. are adapted to be actuated through the medium of the levers 65 and 66 and the connecting rods 67 and 68. For the purpose ,of cleaning. the tank 25 orfor any other urp'ose the water maybe fiarged therefrom through the valve controlled pipe 69. It will be seen that by my invention I am enabled to subject the coal or other similar mineral substances with the impurities intermingled therewith to the action of a stream of water which flows continuously and with a substantially constant pressure,

' the force of the flow being 'sufiicient to effeet lateral movement and discharge of the, impurities, such as slate, stone and the like of greater spepific gravity. The said coal is carried forward by and with the for wardl fiowin stream of water and is controlled by theiitter until its final discharge from the tank. v

the water by my invention is divided force than does the other' of said streams and may be regarded as eifecting primary separation of the coal or other similar mineral substances from the; impurities. .The other of said streams which flows upwardly .through the forward portion of therscreen .plate 11 strikes the ties with .sufiicient force to eii'ect a completion of the separation but without sufficient force to cause a reinterminglingof the impurities with the previously separated coal or other similar material. It has been found in actual practice by the. employment of my inventiona substantial reduction in cost of operation is efl'ected, and also that'a more complete separation of the coal'from impurities is effected than heretofore-has been practicable, as far as I am aware;

Having thus described my invention what I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patentisz 1. Apparatus for washing. coal and other like substance, comprising a tank having a perforated bottom inclined from the rear toward the front thereof, said bottom includ ing' an imperforate elevated portion at its ,rear edge, a bafile structure located 'in adjacent relation to the rear wall of said tank and having its lower edge terminated a short distance above the forward edge of the slate and other impurielevated imperforate portion of said bottom whereby apassageway is formed throughwhich a -mixture of coal and impurities is adapted to pass from the space between the said battle structure and the said rear wall, a compartment in front of said battle structure the front wall of which-is of a height substantially less than the walls of the tank structure, means for discharging water through the perforated portion of the said bottom and upwardly through the last mentioned compartment, a passageway underneath the said front wall through which the heavier portion of the mixture is adapted to' be discharged, the said bottom underneath and forwardly of said passageway being imperforate, and means formin a compartment forwardly of the first na ed compartment, said compartment havin a restricted discharge opening whereby ow of water and the lighterportion of the said mixture is restricted, substantially as described. L

2. Apparatus for washing coal, comprising .a tank having a transversely extending intermediate wall for dividing the said tank into rear and front-compartments, a bottom for the rear-compartment, said bottomcomprising an intermediate perforated portion,

said portion comprising two parts which are angularly related to each other, the inclination of the said bottom being toward thefront of the said apparatus, and the said bottom also comprising an imperforate front and the rear portion of the edge portion, said bottom being elevateda substantial dis tance above the forward portion thereof, a bafile structure extending transversely of. the

tank and located adjacent'the rear wall'- thereof,-said bafile structure being inclinedsaid-bathe structure and the rear wall into the; washing compartment formed between said baflle'structure and the said intermedi ate wall, means for supplying water to the portion: of the tank underneath the said-bob tom, said water flowing upwardly through v the perforated portions of the saidbottom and operating to-separate'the coal of 1ess specific gravity from the impurities of greater specific gravity, flowing the 'upper edge of the said'inter mediate wall and carrying therewith the coal of less specific gravityyand the said coal being'delivered into a compartment in front of said intermediate wall, the forward wall of saidlast mentioned compartment being provided with an opening, and means 4 for restricting said opening to control the impurities therefrom, .specific gravitythan "4o outflow of water and coal therefrom, stantially as described. 7 1

3. Apparatus for washing coal toremove the coal being of less Sub said. apparatus comprising a tank'having "front and rear walls and an intermediate transversely extending wall for dividing the short distance a ove the forthey said water over-' the said impurities,

said tank into; rear andfront compartments,- a bottom forclosing'the rear compartment, said-bottom having intermediate perforated portions and rear and front imperforate portions, the rear 'imp'erforat'e portion occupyingqa'gpo'sition a substantial distance said bottom, the front edge portion of the said bottom extending underneath thelower edge-J of the said intermediate transversely extending wall and being located a distance therefrom to formv a passageway for the' discharge of-the impurities which maybe separated from the coaTl, a baflie structure extendin transversely of the said tank and being located adjacent the rear wall thereof, the lower edge of said'baflie structure terminating a distance above the frontedge of'the elevated imperforate portion of the said bottom to form a assageway from the space between the sai bafile' structure and t e saidrear .wall into the portion of the said rear compartmentabove the perforated ortions of the said bottom, a downwardly' mclined pl'ate extending from thesaid inabove that of the front edge portion of the termediate wall-t0 the said' frontwall to the said water flowing upwardly through the perforations through the said bottom into the mixture of coal and impurities and oper ating' to effect-separation thereof, substantially' as described. I

In testimonythat. I claim the foregoing.

to the rear.

as my invention, I have hereunto igned my a name .this 18th day of September 1924.

WILLIAM o. MENZIES. 

